206 riders signed on today for the annual Lacey Cup. Torrential rain and strong winds overnight and up until the race commenced was a major concern but thankfully the rain eased off before the race commenced. After the roll-out from our club sponsors and Race Headquarters, Manor West Hotel, the A3 riders were first off from George Poff's garage on the Dingle Road. They wasted no time with plenty of attacks and eventually a four man break was clear at the foot of Gleann na nGealt.

Sean McKenna riding for his new team Aquablue attacked hard from the A1 group overhauling the A2's and eventually catching Simon Tuomey & Robert O'Leary of Giant Cork and Darragh O'Mahony, O'Leary Stone/ Kanturk CC on the first climb. This was to be the break of the day. Sean Lacey and Paidi O'Brien launched an attack with 800mm to the prime but were reeled back in. Sean McKenna took the prime, with Darragh second and Simon third.

The four man breakaway worked very well all day but were only managing a slender 1-2 minute gap throughout the race as attacks were frequent from the chasing groups. As they passed Inch beach they were maintaining a one minute gap, but the pace took its toll on Robert O'Leary and it was down to a three remaining riders. Denis Dunworth was next to attack but Cathal Moynihan was doing an excellent job in marking the attacks as he had a team mate in the break.

A strong tailwind led to a very fast pace from Inch to Castlemaine where the riders turned left and faced the Sliabh Mish climb. Simon Tuomey and Sean McKenna went clear at this point with Darragh loosing contact. Simon took the Teddy Griffin prime and it was going to be down to a two man sprint then. Sean McKenna took the victory by a couple of seconds from Simon. A gallant effort from Darragh O'Mahony earned him a well deserved third place. Killarney man John Brosnan, Moda Kingdom Endurance was next rider to finish after putting in a ferocious attack on the last climb. Paidi O'Brien was 5th leading in the main bunch. In this group also was Siobhan Horgan who rode very strongly and her break from the bike was not evident on todays display where she was the first female rider home.

Club man Oran Pierse of Tralee Manor West BC won the Jackie O'Connor Trophy at Gleann na nGealt with fellow club rider Cillian Tierney putting in a very strong performance finishing in the top 20, great stet for the first year juniors !

In the A4 race Tom Brendan O'Connor of the Tralee Chain Gang CC went on the charge from the gun and built up a convincing lead, taking the A4 Prime at Gleann na nGealt on his solo charge, which he maintained until the foot of Sliabh Mish, where the chasing bunch caught their man. Moments later Conor Kissane, Killarney CC put in a blistering attack and went clear to take the A4 race.

Our thanks to the Gardaí, Red Cross, our race sponsors, George Poff & Halfords, and of course the Manor West Hotel for their hospitability. We would like to also thank all our club members for the excellent stewarding to ensure the race went off without any major incidents. Finally thanks to all the riders who turned up and put in a huge effort on a tough circuit made even tougher today with the strong winds.

Just a quick heads up to anyone still considering staying in Manor West Hotel for the Lacey Cup, there are only a handful of rooms left, so give them a call on 066 7194500 asap ! Full details below.

LACEY CUP ACCOMMODATION PACKAGES :

Our main sponsors Manor West Hotel have put together great package deals for cyclists and their families / partners who may wish to travel to Tralee the day before the Lacey Cup. The packages are as follows: Bed & Breakfast €40pps. Dinner, Bed & Breakfast €59 pps. Single room, Bed & Breakfast €50. Single room, Dinner, Bed & Breakfast €69.

Manor West Hotel has underground parking with a secure bike lock-up facility . Special late Check-out at 4.30pm to allow cyclists shower and change afterwards. Full use of leisure facilities including 18m pool, sauna and jacuzzi. The hotel is located adjacent to Manor West Retail Park (Kerry's largest shopping complex). For anyone interested in booking please contact the hotel at 066 7194500 and quote "Lacey Cup".

Its Lacey Cup time again, the grand opener to the Munster racing season. This year again, due to CI rule T5.1.11 there will be a separate A4 race should the entries exceed 140 riders. The A4 Race will be immediately AFTER the A1/A2/A3 race. Total Prize fund is in excess of €1000.

Tralee Manor West BC's annual race the "Lacey Cup" is a 75km race. The A1/A2/A3 race is run on a handicap basis ( A4 run individually ) and starts from Manor West Hotel, Tralee with a neutralised roll out at 12:10pm.

The race is held on the Dingle Peninsula and takes the riders from the Dingle road outside of Tralee through Blennerville, on to Camp and up Gleann na nGealt for the first Prime, this climb comes after 15km of racing and is 4km long averaging 3% gradient. Once over the top of Gleann na nGealt the race continues to Annascaul where the riders will turn left just outside the village on to Inch and Castlemaine. Then another left turn at Castlemaine and onto the start of the prime at the top of the Slieve Mish climb after 62km for the Teddy Griffin Trophy, the climb is also 4km long and averages 2.8% gradient, before the descent to the finish at Skehanagh just outside the town of Tralee on the N70 (Tralee-Killorglin Road).

The 75km route is one complete loop of a challenging route and tests the strongest of riders with the two climbs and rolling roads from start to finish. Click on link below for race route: